


I Don't Ask For You to Change

by EternallyEC



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23784424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyEC/pseuds/EternallyEC
Summary: Tori and Jade have never had a traditional relationship, so when Tori's plans to propose go awry, she improvises.
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 6
Kudos: 101





	I Don't Ask For You to Change

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be based on the prompt: Tori attempting to propose to Jade and Jade ruining it every time, but then I guess I needed some softness after all of the angst I've been writing and this happened instead.
> 
> Also, I am well aware the play was almost definitely not the night after the date, so I fudged the timeline a bit because I wanted them to have that moment.

Tori sucked in a deep breath as the ring was finally handed over. 

It had taken her months of saving every spare penny she had, but as she held the small box in her hand and admired the diamond, it all felt worth it. 

Ever since they’d left Hollywood Arts, things had been difficult for Tori Vega. Her once seemingly-certain career in Hollywood had been brought to a grinding halt when Mason Thornesmith had taken it upon himself to make sure that she’d never work again. 

Ever the optimist, she’d thought that the incredible reception to her performance at the Platinum Music Awards had been enough to win him over, but as soon as she had started trying to build on the connections she’d made in school, she’d been met with nothing but door after door slamming in her face. 

Ultimately, it had been Jade who’d set out on a mission to find out why when Tori’s insecurities started to eat her alive. They’d been dating since just after graduation, the day of which Jade had pulled her into the janitor’s closet and confessed her feelings for her. They’d had their rough patches through college, but Jade had never been anything less than protective of Tori even when they were fighting.

This was no different; things were growing tight for the girls financially, having moved into an off-campus apartment for privacy. Or rather, things had grown tight for Tori financially. 

Jade was a West and her inheritance had come through on her eighteenth birthday, something she tried not to talk about until it came to financial matters. Tori wanted to pay her own way, no matter what it took, and any attempt Jade made to persuade her to let her handle rent for a month or two ended in a huge fight. 

Eventually, Tori had gotten a job as a barista and then a second job as a server. By the end of the year, she’d been forced to admit that she couldn’t do two jobs and school for any longer and had reluctantly agreed to pay less rent and let Jade cover the rest. 

Between that and the constant rejection of her music and auditions, she had started to slide into a deep depression, skipping classes in favor of staying home in bed and even talking about dropping out altogether. 

Furious and not knowing what to do, Jade had done her usual research and after a lot of digging, she’d discovered that Mason was the culprit. Apparently, he had told everyone who was anyone that Tori was difficult to work with and likely to bail at the last moment, leaving them to scramble for a last-minute replacement. 

It had taken Jade a few days to decide whether or not she should tell Tori the news before she did. Ultimately, it helped Tori to realize that she wasn’t being rejected based on anything about her but Mason’s words, but it had also cut her deeply and shattered her optimistic worldview. 

But now, none of that mattered. Her days of working as a barista were numbered and she and Jade were about to graduate college. Her beautiful, amazing girlfriend had already optioned off no less than four scripts during their four years in college and she already had offers to direct at least one of them. 

Although it still hurt to have had her dreams crushed, Tori knew that she wouldn’t change a thing. Any other road might have led to her and Jade going their own ways after college and she was extremely proud of her girl for already succeeding in her own dreams. 

But as she tucked the ring away in her purse, Tori couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of anxiety. It was baseless, she knew, but sometimes she still worried about their future. Not enough to postpone her plans or even make her have second thoughts, of course, but enough to make her hesitate as she stared down at her Pearphone. 

The message had been saved in her drafts for what felt like eons, but had really been nearly a year. She’d read it over and over again until she didn’t have to look at the screen to recite exactly what it said. 

_ Have dinner with me tonight? Nozu’s, 7 o’clock. :)  _

She was pretty sure that Jade probably didn’t remember the date, but that was okay. Tori had always been the more sentimental of the two and she’d learned early on in the relationship that Jade’s lack of attention to dates she deemed important wasn’t intentional on Jade’s part. If she told the other woman that a date meant something to her, Jade would go out of her way to do something for her every year after that, and that’s all that Tori could ask for really. 

But she had deliberately never mentioned this one for this exact reason. It was the anniversary of their first date, the one that Sikowitz had forced them to go on when their chemistry as Walter and Nancy had been deemed completely unbelievable. 

Although it hadn’t been a traditional date, Tori still counted it. It had been the first time that Jade had let down her guard around her, and they’d even enjoyed themselves after performing together and scaring away the bothersome boys. 

It had also been the night that Tori had finally quit living in denial and admitted the truth, even if only to herself, that she was in love with Jade West. 

With a smile, she hit send on the text and headed home to get ready. Putting her phone on the charger, she took a long, luxurious bath before getting dressed in the blue dress she knew Jade loved on her. It was short enough to show off her legs and was casually elegant in a way that would be a bit much for a place like Nozu’s but wouldn’t draw Jade’s suspicion too much.

In the middle of fixing her hair and make-up, she heard her phone go off in the bedroom. “Oh, shoot,” she grumbled, setting her mascara down and hurrying to get it before the call disconnected. 

“Hey, babe,” she said brightly when she saw Jade’s photo on her Pearphone and slid to answer. “I can’t wait to see you tonight… Oh,” she sighed, nervously biting a fingernail. “Really, he’s making you stay after again? I thought that you’d finished all of the grading… No, of course I understand, Jade, I’m just disappointed.” 

She sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, I love you too. Be careful, okay? You know I don’t trust that guy.” Laughing at Jade’s retort, she rolled her eyes. “Of course I know you have your scissors on you, but it doesn’t mean I can’t worry. Okay, I’ll see you when you get home tonight then. Bye.” 

Hanging up the phone, Tori groaned. 

Almost a year of planning wasted because the horny professor who made a habit of staring at her girlfriend’s boobs had decided to make her stay late to finish a surprise assignment he’d given out and ‘forgotten’ to tell her about the week before. 

Still, she couldn’t blame it entirely on him, she sighed. She should have asked Jade earlier, done things a little differently. With their history, Tori thought with a slight smirk despite her disappointment, she probably should have expected for  _ something  _ to go wrong.

Somehow, the thought was comforting enough for her to get up and go get changed and wash the make-up from her face. Slipping out of the dress, she brushed the waves from her hair and put it up in a simple bun instead. Putting on an old t-shirt and a pair of sweats, she donned her glasses and set up camp in the living room with  _ The Lion King  _ since Jade wasn’t there to stop her _.  _

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, gentle hands were shaking her awake. “Come on, Vega, get up,” Jade groaned, leaning down to gently take her glasses off and setting them on the coffee table. “It’s after midnight, why are you sleeping on the couch?” she scolded, raising an eyebrow as Tori blinked sleepily up at her. 

“I must have fallen asleep,” Tori yawned, stretching as she let Jade pull her into a sitting position. “Did you just get home?” 

“Yeah,” she sighed, sitting beside Tori and pulling her close with an arm around her shoulder. “Creepy Mervin tried to make a move at last,” she said with a smirk, holding Tori still when she tried to jerk away. 

Tori grumbled at her still-incredible strength and stayed put, instead moving her head so that she could look up at her. “Did your hidden camera work?” 

“It sure did,” Jade grinned, pulling out her Pearphone and showing Tori the sent email to the dean. “He won’t get a chance to pull this shit on anyone else,” she said with satisfaction. 

"Good," Tori smiled, leaning up to kiss her cheek. "Did you eat? There's leftovers in the fridge." 

"Wait," Jade said suspiciously. "You didn't cook, did you?" She made a show of sniffing the air before giving her a devilish grin. "Never mind, I don't smell anything burning."

"Haha," Tori pouted, rolling her eyes as she playfully smacked Jade's arm. "No, I picked up some sushi from Nozu's." 

"I'm sorry about that," Jade sighed, running her hands through her brunette hair. She'd let it go back natural a couple of years ago, though she'd kept the extensions to wear every once in a while, and Tori loved it. "I know it was important to you." 

"It's okay," Tori smiled, pausing while she registered the last sentence. "Wait, how did you know it was important to me?" 

Jade grinned, dipping her head to kiss her. "Come on, Vega, you didn't really think I'd forget the anniversary of our first date, did you?"

Tori beamed, wiggling out from under Jade’s arm and throwing her arms around her, kissing her soundly as she felt Jade chuckle underneath her. “You big sneak,” she grinned affectionately, pulling back just enough to stare into her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d remember,” she admitted. 

Jade chuckled again, wrapping her arms around Tori and shifting to better accommodate their new position. “I know I’m not the best girlfriend when it comes to stuff like that,” she smiled, sliding her hands underneath Tori’s shirt to rest on her back. “But I know it’s important to you so I’ve been trying.” 

Tori’s smile widened and she leaned in to kiss her again before resting her head on Jade’s chest, feeling sleepy and warm and comfortable and the happiest she’d felt in a long time. 

“I love you,” she sighed, yawning as her eyes started to flutter close. “That means so much to me, Jade.” 

Jade started tracing circles on her back and then a star, making Tori reach to trace the tattoo on her arm that was just in reach. “I love you too,” she whispered. 

Yawning again, Tori reluctantly sat up and cupped Jade’s face in her hands. “You know that I don’t expect you to change for me,” she said softly, her thumb moving slowly across one cheek. “I knew who you were when I fell in love with you and when I agreed to date you and I still know who you are. I don’t want you to feel like you have to be anyone but Jade West.” 

“I know that, Tori Vega,” Jade teased, turning her head to the side to kiss Tori’s palm. “But it’s important to you and that makes it important to me,” she smiled softly. 

Leaning in for another kiss, Tori melted into her before she pulled away. Standing up slowly so that Jade had time to move her hands, she gave her a warm smile and made a show of stretching and yawning again. “You should eat,” she told her. “I think I’m going to go to bed,” she lied, thankful yet again for her acting experience when Jade didn’t show any signs of not believing her. 

“Okay, babe. I’ll be in soon,” Jade smiled, standing up and kissing her again. 

“Don’t be long,” Tori grinned, heading for the bedroom and closing the door behind her. 

Immediately going for her purse, she pulled the small velvet box out and opened it, staring at the ring as she thought. 

She and Jade had never had a traditional relationship. They’d started out on the wrong foot and things had stayed that way for a long time despite having brief moments of peace when they needed each other or their friends needed them. They’d moved in together barely two months after starting to date and, although you’d never know it to look at them now, they’d hardly acted like a couple for a while. 

But through it all, Tori had never doubted Jade’s feelings for her, even back when she’d thought the other girl just considered her a friend underneath all of her denial. Jade West had been the one constant in Tori’s life since she’d started Hollywood Arts, staying long after the dream of her own stardom had faded and becoming something she wanted more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. 

They just  _ worked _ ; she didn’t know why and she understood that she didn’t need to in order to appreciate it. And, with how oddly the rest of their relationship had gone, she couldn’t think of a single reason why she had to change her plans entirely. 

Snapping the lid closed and returning the ring to her bag, Tori sprung into action. Her first move was to light the candles on the bedside table, making sure that each was safely situated before moving on to the next step. 

Quickly pulling off her t-shirt and sweats, she tossed them into the closet and rummaged through the dresser drawers until she found what she was looking for buried underneath her ‘boring’ pajamas, as Jade called them. 

She smirked as she pulled the black lace teddy over her head and got it situated, slipping on the see-through robe that went over it. Walking over to the full-length mirror, she adjusted herself until her cleavage was perfect and ruffled her hair until it looked perfect. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she fidgeted, trying out several poses before she heard Jade’s footsteps coming down the hall. She’d moved the ring to hide it behind her back and one hand automatically went to it, making sure it was in hand as the doorknob turned and Jade entered. 

“What the hell?” Jade blurted out, her eyes roaming around the room and stopping the second her eyes landed on Tori. 

Tori couldn’t help but smirk, feeling incredibly sexy and powerful as she struck Jade West speechless as her eyes raked slowly over Tori’s body. “Happy anniversary, babe,” she purred, keeping her hands carefully behind her back as she stood up. 

“Tori--”

“Shh,” she whispered, putting a finger against her lips. “Since the day we met, you’ve frustrated the hell out of me. You poured coffee over my head and nearly sent me back to Sherwood on my first day. You pushed me away for years but kept giving me hints of the girl beneath the mask that made me keep fighting for you.” 

Removing her finger, she kissed her tenderly, dancing away when Jade tried to put her arms around her. “When you pulled me into the janitor’s closet the day we graduated, I thought you were going to tell me that you didn’t want to keep in touch with me. I was hurt, but I’d almost given up on you ever wanting me the way I’d wanted you.”

She took a deep breath and went down on one knee, watching Jade’s eyes widen as she pulled the box from behind her back and opened it, the ring glittering in the candlelight. 

“So, I guess that I kind of like your or whatever and I wouldn’t mind seeing where this goes,” she said quickly, lowering her voice into an absolutely eerie imitation of Jade’s voice as she repeated her own words back to her. “Jade West, would you be willing to see where this goes for the rest of our lives together?” Her voice was trembling as she finished, taking a deep breath as she waited. 

“Jesus christ, Vega, of course I will,” Jade laughed, shaking her head. “You’re the corniest person I know, you know that?” she grinned, her eyes sparkling as Tori jumped up and slid the ring on her finger. 

Tori’s hand lingered and her eyes dropped to see the ring sitting on Jade’s finger, a surprising rush of possessiveness rushing through her at the sight. Then she squealed and threw her arms around Jade, kissing her repeatedly while Jade laughed against her lips. 

“Shit, now I feel worse than ever about tonight,” Jade chuckled when Tori had finally calmed down. They were swaying in the middle of the bedroom, arms wrapped around each other and Tori’s head resting on her chest. “That’s why you invited me to Nozu’s, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Tori admitted, lightly tracing patterns on Jade’s back through her shirt. “But it’s not a big deal, honestly. I was disappointed at first but… nothing else about us has been traditional, has it?” She felt Jade’s chest shake under her cheek and knew she was laughing silently. 

“You’ve got that right, Vega,” she told her, sliding her fingers along the smooth, tan skin of her back. 

“So when you came home and told me you remembered the date, I just thought… Why should I put this off any longer? Because I want to propose in a ‘suitable’ way? And then I realized that was stupid,” she giggled, lifting her head and smiling adoringly up at Jade. 

“I realized that I didn’t want that big, grand gesture at all, not really. I just wanted to propose to my girlfriend in a way and at a moment that felt right, so I did.”

Jade smiled, pulling her into a deep kiss. “I can’t believe you pulled this off,” she chuckled once they’d had to break apart to breathe, their foreheads resting against each other. “How long did you have to work to save up the money for this?” she smiled, raising her hand to admire the ring again as Tori’s heart swelled. 

“I put it on layaway almost a year ago,” she admitted. “And it took me almost three months to save up enough to even do that.”

“Tori…” Jade was speechless, staring at the ring and then looking back at Tori before returning to staring at the ring. “You didn’t.”

“I did,” she giggled, “And it was worth it to see that look on your face.”

“I have to say it,” Jade grinned. “You’re a lot sneakier than I gave you credit for, Vega.” 

“I’d say that I learned from the best,  _ West _ ,” she smirked. “But I wouldn’t want you to get a big head or anything.”

“Tori West. Hmm. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” Jade winked, making Tori’s mouth fall open. 

“I’m the one who proposed, Jade. If anyone’s taking a last name, it’ll be you, Mrs. Jade Vega.” 

“Oh, you think so?” Jade smirked, raising an eyebrow. “We’ll see about that.” 

Tori laughed, playfully swatting Jade’s shoulder. “Even our last names have to be a competition now,” she whined. “We never change, do we?” 

“Nope,” Jade grinned, kissing her forehead tenderly. 

“Good,” Tori nodded, smirking up at her. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

“Hey, I know I missed our anniversary, but do you know what today is the anniversary of?” Jade asked with a grin. 

Tori tried to think but came up with nothing, furrowing her brows. “What?” 

Jade cleared her throat and when she spoke next, she’d been transformed entirely. “You’re no sleepy loser,” she declared dramatically. “You’re… an astronaut.” 

Grinning, Tori slipped into character, clearing her throat before declaring, “I love you.”

“I love you,” Nancy sighed, pulling Walter into an embrace before they both started laughing, Jade pulling her into another kiss. 

“We should really probably tell Sikowitz thank you, you know,” Tori grinned as they climbed into bed after extinguishing the candles. “Do you think he knew what he was doing?” she asked with a yawn, gladly moving into Jade’s arms when she held them open and sighing in contentment as she snuggled into her. 

“Are you kidding?” Jade rolled her eyes. “He probably knew since the day we met,” she said, only realizing how true the words were as they slipped past her lips. 

“Since the day you poured coffee on me?” Tori pouted. 

“How many times are you going to make me apologize for that?” Jade groaned. 

“Until you let me return the favor,” she countered with a smirk. 

“Okay, fine, I’m sorry for the millionth time for pouring coffee over your head. Happy?” 

Tori giggled and kissed her cheek. “Absolutely,” she sighed, nuzzling into her chest and quickly drifting off. 

Even drifting, she couldn’t help but smile into Jade’s skin when she heard the whispered, “I love you,” floating in the darkness above her. 

Although her story hadn’t gone the way she’d expected at all, she thought while drifting into sleep, she wouldn’t change a single thing that had led her here, falling asleep in the arms of Jade West, her  _ fiance _ . 

She couldn't ask for more.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Sabrina Carpenter's "Why", which I consider the Jori theme song
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


End file.
